For the FathersMinistry

Wisdom as we think of it is also not exactly what is meant by the Hebrew term hokmah used here. Its nearest equivalent in English is “expertise”. Two of its most often used synonyms are “knowledge” and “understanding” (also translated “discernment”). So one might say that the wisdom referred to is the “expertise” that results from having “knowledge” with “understanding” (Prov8:12). “Knowledge” in Hebrew refers to data derived from the bodily senses: eyes, ears, nose, touch. “Understanding” has to do with the way knowledge is assessed and applied. When we have factual “knowledge” and know how to understand or use it, this in general is Biblical “wisdom”[1]

At the time it was believed that thoughtful learning of this kind occurred in the “heart,” not the head, and that the wisdom thus acquired was manifested in different ways. We now know that learning occurs in the head, but we also know that what occurs in the head as knowledge is worthless without the proper attitude and intent. God understands this fully and therefore judges the heart because it is our attitude and intent and not our outward appearance or the visible demonstration of our skills that exposes whether our intent and goal is good or evil.